I'd like to read/do some recreational math. Recommend a book

January 1, 2021 7:10 PM

I'd like to read about and do some some recreational math. Like puzzles and stuff like that. I enjoyed the Euclid game very much. I'm leaving this pretty broad, but basically I'd mostly like to DO, but it's ok if there's some reading/learning stuff in between the doing. But I'm not looking for a primarily reading book.

My math background is that I've read some pop-math before. I know lots of stats and probability stuff, lots of matrix algebra and graph theory, some combinatrics, I knew some trigonometry, but that was a long time ago. So basically stats + everything one would cover in high school math EXCEPT calculus. I've never taken calculus. I'm willing to read about or do things that require calculus, but not anything that assumes I already know it.

posted by If only I had a penguin... to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

Any of the dozens of puzzle books by Martin Gardner would suit you well. In addition to the usual online book sellers, they're widely available in used book stores. I'm not sure if a new-book store will have any.
posted by neuron at 9:19 PM on January 1, 2021

If you want to literally do, perhaps Making Mathematics with Needlework, Belcastro & Yackel.
posted by clew at 9:47 PM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

Might not be what you're looking for, but is definitely a bit *different* and you might find it interesting... maybe check out Life of Fred by Stanley Schmidt? He's got some sample pages...
posted by stormyteal at 10:35 PM on January 1, 2021 [2 favorites]

Not a book, but if you liked Euclid then you'll probably love the Euclidea and Pythagorea apps.
posted by trig at 1:42 AM on January 2, 2021

This may be a bit low-level for you, but maybe Your Daily Maths: 366 Number Puzzles and Problems to Keep You Sharp by Laura Laing. Or Alex Bellos is good: books, puzzles.
posted by paduasoy at 1:34 AM on January 3, 2021

It's only a small number of puzzles, but you might Matt Parker Math Puzzles on YouTube. The puzzles are not really about math, but they are solved using math or computer code. The solutions are nominally elsewhere (it says in the video) but one are two, plus other stuff are mixed up on the site.

You might also enjoy Numberfile which is not puzzles, but odd bits of math.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:13 PM on January 3, 2021

Also not reading but maybe sufficiently "doing": Vi Hart has some nice videos about math-y doodling, paper constructions, etc.
posted by trig at 4:23 AM on January 4, 2021

I highly recommend the book Burn Math Class: And Reinvent Mathematics for Yourself by Jason Wilkes.

It will walk you through the process of inventing/discovering calculus. Although it's a book, you'll need to stop and reflect often on what you're learning. Don't proceed until you fully grok each chapter, because everything covered is a building block for later discoveries.

Although I took a lot of calculus in university (20+ years ago) I feel like I never fully understood it until I read this whimsical book.
posted by stungeye at 4:15 PM on January 4, 2021 [1 favorite]